Course Description

This course focuses on the history of women's labor in the United States from the early republic to the late twentieth century. Topics covered include wage labor, slavery, political activism, domestic work, family, immigration, and popular culture.

Assignment

Prepare a bibliography and proposal for a museum exhibit that focuses on the American Women's Labor Movement.

Possible topics include biographies of labor activists, key labor history events from city or region; music and the american labor movement; home and family life of women workers. Provide a brief write-up on your topic including citations to articles, books and visuals that could be used in the exhibit.

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FILMS ON DEMAND: WORKING FOR FREEDOM

As industrial progress continues and the gap between the rich and poor widens, a new labor movement emerges to advocate for workers' rights. The strike at Lawrence, Massachusetts, is a victory for workers; and Susan B. Anthony paves the way for women's right to vote. Part of the series Freedom: A History of US. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (26 minutes)

FILMS ON DEMAND: CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN

The subject of women and their roles at home and at work is one of the major and continuing stories of the day. Mary Catherine Bateson, anthropologist and author, has written on topics ranging from the social consequences of the AIDS epidemic to life with her celebrated parents, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. One of her primary areas of interest is the social consequences of the changing roles of women. In this program with Bill Moyers, she talks about how the idea of "home" as a place to give and receive nurture might become a new metaphor for the workplace. Bateson also discusses how women can create order and sense out of their conflicting commitments. (30 minutes)